Now that we’ve all had a little time to come down from the initial furore and euphoria of the launch of the long-awaited Gran Turismo 5, how does it actually fare when the rose-tinted spectacles are taken off?

If we take this game purely at the level of the 200 odd cars rendered beautifully in HD, and then factor in the best ever driving simulation to hit the video game market, this game achieves very close to perfection. After an initial period of not enjoying this game, I have learned to ignore its foibles and to immerse myself in the gameplay. The driving is immense and that’s what carries this game over the line.

Now for the, but...

...it’s hard to ignore all of the things you would have expected to have been ironed out in the massive development cycle.

• The AI is poor. Processional, constantly brake-testing, aggressive to the point of stupidity.• Textures off-track are track are sub standard in many area. A good example of this is the photo opportunity at the corkscrew bend on Laguna Seca; the tyres and sand textures are almost PS2 grade. There’s little or no point in a photo mode if the background isn’t up to the job.• Slow menus – even after the 8g installation, the time taken to navigate round the menus and between screens is onerous.• Sound – It’s a small one but when the AI brakes and you end up slamming in to the back of their car, it’s a plain thud. Every car contact is the same annoying thud.• Track variety – Throughout the ages of GT, the same tracks remerge time after time, with only a few added to the roster. • Damage is just not worth it. The correlation between crashes and visible damage is small.• For all the beautiful rendering of the cockpit views – the dials are terrible to look at.

Score Synopsis...

Graphics Textures off track bring this down a notch.Gameplay Great driving, poor racing.Sound Not much to say on the car noises apart from ramp them up just try and avoid those thudding brake-tests.Control Superb, a feat in precision. The benchmark is set.Replay Value Lasting appeal? I’m going to say yes – for the moment!